Dane County exec rivals talk transportation

As part of its coverage of the Dane County executive campaign, Isthmus is sending weekly questions to the candidates.

For the initial offering, we asked: "Do you support commuter rail for Dane County? What should the county government do to deal with transportation issues and infrastructure? Should the government invest in one mode over another?"

Parisi and McDonell support a regional transit authority and would continue to push for transportation alternatives like dedicated bus and bike lanes, while moving ahead with plans for commuter rail.

Parisi advocates a range of options and says "commuter rail should be a part of that approach." McDonell says the Regional Transit Authority "should continue to work toward a high-speed and commuter rail system."

But Brandon says that, in the wake of Gov. Walker's decision to kill the high-speed rail line, "now is not the time" for commuter rail. Instead, he supports working on a "truly regional bus system" and says "we must improve our county's roadways in a systematic, strategic way."

Wineke also doesn't want to rush into commuter rail: "In an era of shrinking resources, we have to get back to basics -- and our first transit priority must be to maintain our existing infrastructure."